Anti-Age Spot Serum (Serum Anti-Taches Brunes) lists alcohol as the second ingredient, which is a real burn for skin and the pocketbook. All of the exotic-sounding plant extracts and the form of vitamin C included don’t have an established track record of lightening skin discolorations. Cle de Peau wants you to think their cellular ion channel technology can inhibit the formation of melanin (skin pigment), but there is no research showing that to be the case.

Claims

Two technological break-throughs merge to form a new power: time-fighting Cellular Ion Channel Normalizing Technology exclusive to Cle de Peau Beaute, and world-first findings on the mechanism of age spot formation. Limits the melanin formation process. Enhances optimal functioning of the cellular ion channel system. Retexturizes skin for a smoother surface that resists signs of aging and environmental damage.

Strengths: None of note among skin-care items; even the best products are not worth the money when compared with superior versions from other lines that cost slightly to considerably less; foundations that provide excellent coverage without looking heavy; a magnificent concealer; good highlighting powder and eyeshadows; one good mascara.

Weaknesses: Too many to list, but major ones include: average to ineffective moisturizer and serum formulas; no sunscreens; no products to address acne; several products sold as nourishing or anti-aging that douse skin with alcohol or other irritants; makeup products rated as average that are definitely not worth the investment.

Shiseido-owned Cle de Peau Beaute has a great French name that means "key to beautiful skin," but even a cursory overview shows that it is merely the key to the most inane waste of money. We wish there were a way we could bestow a sense of the truth about what women are really buying from this line with a swoop of a wand or a mind meld! The reality is, aside from having no sunscreen—which leaves skin completely vulnerable to the very damage this skin-care company makes every claim it can repair—these products contain nothing unique or out of the ordinary. While most of the products contain some amount of antioxidants, cell-communicating ingredients, and anti-irritants, the amounts are so minuscule they are inconsequential for skin, and for this kind of money that’s offensive. Moreover, the formulations are repetitive, with few significant, bona fide differences among them, despite sometimes wide swings in prices.

Where Cle de Peau excels is in its propaganda of beauty at any cost, especially really expensive cost, regardless of fact or reality. Words such as "extraordinary" and "elegant" pepper the literature for this line, with the none-too-subtle message being that of luxury and obtaining the crème de la crème among skin-care products. Although several of their moisturizers have indulgent textures and are packaged in exquisite containers, it takes much more than that to create efficacious skin-care products whose substance equates to more than mere style. A few Cle de Peau products were reviewed favorably, but we can't in good conscience recommend this line given the prevalence of equal or better formulas from many other lines, most without the price tag that contributes immeasurably to the opulent image Cle de Peau has cultivated.

Note: Many of Cle de Peau's formulations are variations on what Shiseido itself offers for much less money. Shiseido doesn't necessarily have better formulas (although their sun-care line is formidable and worth a look), but they offer proportionately more products we feel comfortable recommending.

Cle de Peau Beaute Makeup

Without question, this is absolutely one of the most expensive collections of makeup sold today. While the prices defy logic or reason, at least the majority of the products perform reliably well and most have beautiful, soft textures that are easy to work with. Of particular interest are the cream foundation and concealer, and the mascaras, pencils, blush, and eyeshadows have their strong points, too. However, when you consider that products costing considerably less share these strengths, the decision to purchase from Cle de Peau comes down to how large your cosmetics budget is and how important the image of ultra-high-end prestige is to you and your makeup bag.

The salespeople for this line go on and on about how each makeup item is an extension of the treatment benefits attained from their skin-care products, but a review of the ingredient lists for almost every cosmetic below clearly refutes that claim. Ironically, even if the makeup were an extension of the skin care, that would be bad news, because the skin-care products are some of the worst on the market.

Nothing in this makeup is special, unique, or even all that competitive with what the cosmetics industry's frontrunners are creating for you. Nevertheless, the main reason to consider Cle de Peau makeup is if you're looking for a selection of silky foundations that provide substantial coverage without the heavy, masklike look of days past. That attribute is one of the reasons celebrities often claim to use Cle de Peau's foundations and concealer.

About the Experts

The new Beautypedia Team proudly and unequivocally maintains the commitment to help you find the best products possible for your skin. We do this by relentlessly pursuing and relying on published scientific research so you will have unbiased information on what works and what doesn't-and the sneaky ways you could be making your skin worse, not better!

The Beautypedia Team reviews all products using the same research, criteria, and objectivity, whether the product being reviewed is from Paula's Choice or another brand.

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